Freedom ThickSlick urban tyres are 700c slick rubber and part of WTB's wider foray into the urban cycling market. Claimed to be the most durable tyres of their kind, mid section 25 and 28mm profiles lend themselves handsomely to winter training, Audax and weekend touring thanks to phenomenal puncture resistance, relatively low drag and excellent manners. Comfort's not bad either, although their sportier sibling, the ThickSlick Sport, shaves 80g a set and roll marginally quicker without any noticeable loss in durability.

Heavier casings, reckoned to have twice the density of comparable rubber are impregnated with crushed Kevlar strips while a second, 'dura layer' safeguards the sidewalls from splits, tears and impact damage-helpful since they've an operating pressure range between eighty and 110psi. Reflectives obviously aren't cool, neither are dynamo tracks, which might deter traditionalists but didn't deter me from having a go with a dynamo. Slippage hasn't been an issue with a mid range bottle unit and bold white lettering seems to catch driver attention better than amber or plain black walls when passing junctions and other danger zones. Some folk are a bit snotty when it comes to wire beads but ours breezed aboard mid and deep sections without tools and without hydraulic thumbs. Better still, there's no danger of mounting them the wrong way.

Their absence of tread gives the ThickSlick and recipient machines a really sleek, round profile that appears wider than their sections suggest. Initial impressions were of a tenacious, yet dependable tyre, biting deep into the asphalt yet with nominal drag and this seems consistent despite subtle pressure tweaks. However, ride quality was distinctly harsher over dimpled surfaces common to B roads, but having tested the ThickSlick Sport (review coming soon) I'm convinced this is down to the belt and braces Kevlar banding.

Put the hammer down and they'll certainly deliver, whether sprinting for the lights, turning sharply to avoid opening car doors, pot-holes, errant pedestrians or cruising at 90 odd rpm through the urban/suburban nightscape. Shards of broken indicator lenses, beer bottles, tacks and other generic litter haven't so much as cajoled a nick in the casings and even five miles of fresh, thorny hedge clippings' couldn't rain on our parade... Talk of the devil, carving into wet descents inspired confidence and they'd go as low as you're cranks will allow without turning bandit. This wasn't the case over wet manhole covers/ similar ironworks though and one in particular peppered with diesel induced a heart in mouth shimmy and visions of Jean Claud Stablinski reading my last rites. Mercifully me and the ThickSlicks held it together but I continued with a larger spoonful of caution.

Verdict

Ultra dependable, yet sprightly rubber for most types of road riding.

road.cc test report

Make and model: Freedom ThickSlick Urban Tyre

Size tested: Black - 700 x 25c

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

"Twice the protection of a standard rubber casing tire. The ThickSlick is designed to withstand the harshest urban elements. Throw in versions with Urban Armor Casing and DuraStrip and the ThickSlick competes with the strongest urban tires in the market". No quibble here

A little hefty at 490g each but built to be ultra durable and tough. Bombproof? Not sure how they'd get on if you did actually explode a bomb next to one, but I am sure they would do considerably better than most other tyres

Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:

7/10

Rate the product for value:

7/10

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Probably the most dependable narrow section road rubber I've used in years, the Urban rolls quickly and handle well enough for training and light touring too.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Ultra dependable, sprightly and generally well mannered.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

There's a slight weight penalty and a little extra caution's called for over wet manhole covers/similar iron works but these are very, very minor points.

Here's how we roll at road.cc: every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a real insight into whether it works or not. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective, and we strive to ensure that all opinions expressed are backed up by facts, but reviews are always a reviewer's informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores. It reflects both a product's function and value. Good scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad. Here's what they mean: